Monthly Archive for September, 2009

Online Notary Education

Published on September 30, 2009 in Corporation and Notary Public. 0 Comments Tags: , .

From processedright.com

Much like our Central Business Registry streamlined the filing process for those hoping to start up a new business, the on-line course of education for Oregon Notary Public applicants makes it easier than ever for would-be notaries to learn the requisite notary laws, rules and procedures needed to take the final notary public exam. At the completion of the online education, the exam can be completed as well, significantly streamlining the process for aspiring notaries.

Here’s how it works:

  1. Users register for the course online
  2. Users take part in the 3 hour course
  3. Once the requirement has been fulfilled, a link for the test will appear in the table of contents
  4. Users take the test

That’s it! After successful completion of the test, exam takers will receive an email with a Certificate of Education and instructions on what to do next to complete the path towards becoming a Notary Public, all that’s left is completing the application and taking care of some minor details which are outlined here, on the Corporation division’s site.

The on-line course of education is another great innovation from our Corporation division and what’s more, we now own the code and application that backs the course, which means we can expand it to other areas at the Secretary of State who want to provide online training to the public.

A Few Questions For: Gary Blackmer – Audits Division Director

Published on September 28, 2009 in Audits and Q&A. 0 Comments Tags: , .

On the first of June this year, Gary Blackmer became director of the Secretary of State’s Audits Division.  He came to the state after a decade as Portland’s elected city auditor and before that was elected to two terms as the Multnomah County auditor. Blackmer is recognized nationally for his expertise in government auditing and has developed particular proficiency in performance audits, which thoroughly analyze the efficiency and effectiveness of governmental policies, management and fiscal dealings. He answered a few questions for us about his first few months on the job.

Q. What changes do you see for the Audits Division?

A. I’m asking the auditors to dig deeper into the problems they encounter when they audit so we can identify the root causes of problems and make recommendations that help managers pinpoint solutions. I’m finding that auditors are very enthused about this new scope of their responsibilities. They’re leaping into the issues and producing better audits already.

Q. What’s a performance audit?

A. A performance audit looks at how an organization delivers services and figures out where the bottlenecks and obstacles are. So when we point problems out to management, they can improve their service, whether it involves cost or quality or timeliness. A financial audit looks at the money transactions in an organization. Our biggest responsibility in a statewide financial audit is determining whether agency reporting of financial transactions is accurate and reliable.  Our other large responsibility is determining whether federal funds were handled in compliance with federal rules.

Q. Will the Audits Division be doing more performance audits than it did in the past?

A. Yes, we will be stretching some of our audits that only looked at rule compliance to look at the larger picture of performance.  We’re also looking at ways to apply our financial audit staff to equally important questions about public finance issues.

Q. How can audits help save taxpayer money?

A. In many ways, government gets in its own way in delivering services. As outsiders, we can see things that people in an organization have become accustomed to, things that are unnecessary or duplicative. Finding them are ways we can save money. We can also look at the state’s revenue sources to see if we can bring in additional dollars. We can examine programs to see if they’re accomplishing the objectives set forward by the Legislature. If they’re not, leadership can decide how to better allocate those resources to be more effective.

Continue reading ‘A Few Questions For: Gary Blackmer – Audits Division Director’

Taking Care of the Voter Registration Rolls

Published on September 25, 2009 in Elections and HAVA. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Keeping track of voter registration information is serious business as it is vital to insuring that our elections run as smoothly and securely as possible. Until recently each of Oregon’s 36 county elections offices had their own voter registration list. However, the Help America Vote Act, which was passed by the United States Congress in 2002, required that all states develop “a single, uniform, official, centralized, interactive computerized statewide voter registration list defined, maintained, and administered at the State level that contains the name and registration information of every legally registered voter in the State.” In 2006 our elections division did just that, putting together the Oregon Central Voter Registration (OCVR) database; and the system has born tremendous fruit. Where counties previously had problems with tasks like tracking down duplicate registrations, they can now access voter registration information across county lines through the OCVR database instantaneously in order to perform a variety of cross checking tasks.

In August of 2008 the State of Oregon and State of Washington undertook a pilot project, which sought to build on the success of OCVR implementation by comparing voter registration databases across state lines to check for potential duplicates. A fantastic overview of this Oregon-Washington pilot project written by the National Academies of Science can be found here.

On September 4th of this year, both Oregon and Washington sent out a letter (pictured below) informing voters that they may be registered to vote in both states. Attached to the letter is a short form that allows voters to indicate whether they were indeed registered in a second state and to cancel that invalid registration.

Dual Reg (OR)

Dual Reg Letters (WA)

So far, about 7,000 letters – 4,500 in Washington and 2,500 in Oregon – have been sent to the matches who came up during the check, but if you have just registered in Oregon after being registered in Washington, or vice-versa, you may want to print a copy of the letter, fill it out and send it in to your respective elections division for them to insure you aren’t registered to vote in both states on accident.

This project will help us perform a key function; tightening up our voter rolls to make sure that they are as accurate as possible. It is just another way that Oregon elections is staying ahead of the curve nationally with innovative projects.

Referenda Roundup

Published on September 24, 2009 in Ballot Initiatives and Elections. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/atlas/Images/Glossary/Referendum.jpgIn most years, the humble referendum pales in popularity to its gregarious cousin the citizen initiative.

Since 1902, the citizen initiative has given birth to all kinds of changes to our social and political structure, including the vote for women, mandated seat belt use and reworking of our tax structure. There have been 348 initiatives on Oregon ballots and we’ve passed 118 of them.

The referendum doesn’t always have the same dramatic flare or occasional high profile.  But it allows citizens to repeal an action by the Legislature, a vital check on our State government. In the last century, we have voted on 62 referenda, the most recent referendum in 2004 when voters rejected a temporary tax increase.

This year, however, petitioners are circulating petitions that could place four different referenda before voters next year. Referenda being circulated would refer HB 2649 (personal income tax) and HB 3405 (corporate income tax) to a special election held on January 26, 2010.  Two other referenda would refer to voters HB 2001 (transportation funding and gas tax) and HB 2010 (health care provider tax) to the May 2010 primary ballot.

To qualify for the ballot, a referendum needs the signatures of 4 percent of the number of voters who cast ballots in the most recent gubernatorial election. That translates to signatures from 55,179 registered Oregon voters.

The deadline for all four of the petition drives is 5 p.m. on Sept. 26.

Investigating Signature Gathering: A Proactive Look at the Initiative System

Published on September 22, 2009 in Elections and Secretary Brown. 0 Comments Tags: , .

Here is my recent Op-Ed, re-posted from The Oregonian:

September 22, 2009, 8:22AM

I  ran for office last year promising voters I’d fight to restore integrity to our citizen initiative and referendum system.

The citizen initiative is deeply ingrained in Oregon’s political DNA. It has changed our culture and has become one of the biggest drivers in the state budget, from Measure 5 property tax limitations to Measure 11 mandatory-minimum sentencing.

Everywhere I go, I hear worries that measures get on the ballot through illegal methods such as fraud and forgery. The issue has clearly concerned the Legislature as well. Lawmakers passed major reforms in 2007 and again in 2009.

To ensure measures reach the ballot through legal and legitimate means, the Legislature authorized a pilot project to make spot checks from August until the end of 2009 to make sure petitioners are in compliance with the law. Contrary to what some may claim, the spot checks are not targeting the referenda on the tax measures passed in the last session by the Legislature. They’re also observing petitioners for some of the seven other citizen initiatives approved to circulate. When the signatures for the referenda are handed in on Sept. 25, investigators will continue their work through the end of the year.

So just what are the observers looking for? Violations, both major and minor. Minor violations might include not using authorized forms or the failure of a signature gatherer to personally witness a signature, as the law requires. Major violations involve bribing a voter to sign or forging names onto a petition. The observers also will make sure no one interferes with voters interested in signing a petition. New reforms make it a felony to hinder or delay these encounters. Investigators are watching for that, too.

It’s always easy to assume the worst. Indeed, critics — including The Oregonian’s editorial board — question the efficacy of the investigations based on just the first two weeks of a nearly five-month project. But this is a straightforward, nonintrusive observation of the process, and it’s already made a difference. In one recent training, a trainer told attendees that he would “do everything by the book” as a result of investigators being present.

The investigators are simply observing what is going on in full view of the world. They do not interfere with the interaction between signature gatherers and signers, and they talk to the signature gatherers only when approached by the circulator.

I’m hesitant to characterize our findings thus far because we’re only a few weeks into a five-month project. But so far, with more than 300 contacts with circulators, we’ve seen no major violations. We found some relatively minor transgressions by one citizen initiative campaign, but they appeared to be oversights and were handled with a phone call to the chief petitioner.

When the observers’ work is complete, we will provide a full report to the Legislature.

I hope we find few problems. I hope everyone gathering signatures knows what the law requires and observers and gatherers alike treat everyone with dignity and respect.

Until recently, compliance with the law has been a reactive process. Under my watch, we’re taking a comprehensive, proactive approach to this issue for the first time in this state’s history. This is one more step in helping Oregonians regain confidence in their citizen initiative system.

Kate Brown is Oregon secretary of state.

Unveiling Our Signature Verification Room

Published on September 21, 2009 in Ballot Initiatives and Elections. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

These are pictures of Oregon’s Signature Verification Room. It is empty now with the exception of a few computers, some desks, and the flickering lights coming from a couple of Ethernet routers, but that doesn’t figure to be the case for much longer. With signature sheets for ballot initiatives due on September 25th and a constitutionally mandated 30 days1 for our elections staff to verify those signatures, the serene scene you see above will be a rare occurrence.

During this month, 5-6 elections officers at a time will work in shifts to get through more than 200,000 signatures expected to be submitted later this week, which have been gathered to refer to voters up to four bills passed by the legislature. Each staff person receives training from a forensic document examination consultant.

This will be the first time that the Secretary of State’s office will be conducting the full signature verification operations for initiatives and referenda; previously, each county was responsible for the operation. That changed in response to an issue raised by US District Court Judge Michael Mosman in his opinion on a 2008 challenge to the signature verification process.  Judge Mosman upheld the underlying process as valid, but raised concerns that verification standards could change from one county to another.

In order to insure a uniform standard, the Secretary of State has brought the entire verification process under the auspice of the Elections Division, relieving our county partners of a large amount of work and guaranteeing the signatures be evaluated uniformly.

As you can see from the first picture above, we’re taking security on this operation very seriously. Only Secretary of State staff will be able to access an outer door, which then leads to the locked cage you see above. Observers from proponents and opponents of the referenda will be allowed in the room under supervision.  As this process gets under way, we will be providing you with a behind the scenes look at the verification process as it is taking place.

[1] Oregon Constitution Article IV, Section 1, Subsection 4a

The Digital Government Achievement Awards

Published on September 18, 2009 in Corporation. 1 Comment Tags: , , , .

The Secretary of State’s Office is a multi-faceted agency with program divisions that handle some of our State Government’s most vital tasks. However, what often goes unseen is the work that our internal divisions do in support of our program divisions. On September 1st, our Information Systems Division was awarded a Digital Government Achievement Award (DGAA) in the Government-to-business category for its development of the Central Business Registry, which has streamlined the filing process for those wishing to start a business in Oregon. The DGAA is given to an agency or department for an outstanding Web site or project at the application and infrastructure level. It is open to all government agencies the world over, so it’s safe to say that our competition was pretty fierce.

So what’s the big deal with the Central Business Registry (CBR) anyways? Well, for starters, before the development of CBR, in order to start a business in Oregon, a business registrant may have been required to register with as many as six different state agencies.  Each of these agencies has separate requirements and forms that must be completed and processed.  This process required  days or even weeks to complete, and in some cases even required the business registrant to travel to the agency to complete the transaction.

What we have now is a process that’s a bit more like “one stop shopping” for starting a business. Currently, customers can log on to the CBR and complete registration with the Oregon Corporation Division, Employment Department, and the Department of Revenue. The next phase of development will bring the Department of Consumer and Business Services into the mix, further streamlining the process.

Making the process more efficient for customers is just one great benefit the CBR has produced. Another is the tremendous number of hours that are saved when customers use CBR. The Secretary of State saves approximately 400 hours a month, while the Department of Revenue boasts a savings of roughly 135 hours a month in processing time. These savings translate to improved services to the State’s business customers as well as savings to the agencies involved.

Our ISD and Corporations divisions put a great deal of work into this project and we are very happy that their hard work and ingenuity have not gone unnoticed. If you’re looking to start a business in Oregon, go ahead and pay the CBR a visit. After all, it’s award winning.

Census Office Opening in Eugene

Published on September 16, 2009 in Census. 0 Comments Tags: .

Kate-Eugene-CensusOn August 20th Secretary Brown and a few staff were in Eugene for the grand opening of the Eugene office of the Census Bureau for the 2010 decennial census. It was a well-attended event that had everything: a rousing rendition of ‘My Oregon’ from the Gleemen, a color guard composed of veterans who are also tribal members, and speeches by Mayor Leiken of Springfield, Congressman DeFazio, and of course Secretary of State Brown.

Each speaker talked about the importance of the 2010 count. There is a consensus at every level of government that there has never been a more important Census in the history of our country. And the Secretary of State’s office will be an integral part of the State’s efforts to ensure the best count possible.

In June, the Governor appointed Secretary of State Brown to head the State’s Complete Count Committee, which will coordinate State Agencies in efforts to raise awareness about the 2010 Census count. It’s an incredibly exciting effort that serves a critical purpose.

So why is a complete and accurate Census count so important to the state of Oregon?

To put the count’s impact in real terms, there will be close to $400 billion dollars in federal funding to be distributed over the next few years. The results of the 2010 Census count will be major factor in helping decision makers in Washington, D.C. decide where those funds will go. In these tough economic times for the state, this is a big deal.

To give you an idea of where this money can be used, here are just a few examples of where federal money was allocated in 2007:

  • Food stamps – $30.4 billion
  • Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers – $16.1 billion
  • National School Lunch Program – $8.6 billion
  • Head Start – $6.2 billion
  • State Children’s Insurance Program – $5.5 billion
  • Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program – $5.3 billion
  • Foster care (Title IVE) – $4.5 billion
  • Child Care Mandatory & Matching Funds – $2.9 billion
  • School Breakfast Program – $2.1 billion

These are programs that have a massive impact on people’s lives.

The Census count will also determine whether or not Oregon’s population has grown so much since the last count that we require a sixth congressional district. This would mean that Oregon would have another Representative to join our already stellar representation in the US Congress. Greater representation in Washington means a louder voice for Oregonians; and this is a good thing.

Everyone here in the Secretary of State’s office is excited about ramping up our efforts to assist the Census Bureau in making 2010 the most successful count in our country’s history.

Welcome!

Published on September 14, 2009 in Secretary Brown. 1 Comment

Hello and Welcome to SoS 2.0, the Oregon Secretary of State’s blog.

As Oregon’s 24th Secretary of State, I am extremely excited to launch this blog as part of our Social Media initiative. Over the coming years, my staff and I will use this portal to serve three main purposes: to educate, explain and collaborate.

Firstly, we want to educate Oregonians on just what it is that we do here. You’ll see FAQs, Q&As with employees from our divisions, in-depth reports on key agency functions and probably a picture essay or two.

We will also try to explain and bring clarity to the news and the events involved with the work of this department. I hope we can demystify what is sometimes the confusing tangle of state government. My goal is to make sure everyone can understand what’s going on and why.

Finally, we will collaborate with constituents. We want to hear from you about the things we discuss in this space about and you’ll get the chance in our open comments section. Once you register – it’s free – you can comment on anything we post.

This isn’t a press release site. We have one of those already. This blog will offer a different approach to news and events, a way we can communicate directly with the people paying our salaries.

I am incredibly excited about this initiative. We are the first state agency to have a full fledged Web 2.0 presence; starting with this blog and extending into our Twitter, Flickr, Delicious, and Google Maps portals. I believe that social networking and media present a tremendous opportunity for government and the public to have a truly interactive discussion about the state and how it is run.

Thank you for visiting the blog. There is going to be a lot of activity, so please come back to get the latest from the Office of the Oregon Secretary of State.

Yours truly,

Kate Brown